Viewer rating calculation server, method for calculating viewer rating, and viewer rating calculation remote apparatus

ABSTRACT

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a viewer rating calculation server includes a server communication unit configured to receive first audio feature information extracted by a viewer rating calculation remote apparatus from viewing contents, an audio feature information extraction unit configured to extract second audio feature information of a broadcast content received from at least one broadcast service provider, a viewing content identification unit configured to generate viewing information as a result of determination of a currently viewing content by comparing the first audio feature information with the second audio feature information, and a viewer rating calculation unit configured to calculate a viewer rating of each broadcast content in real time on the basis of multiple pieces of the viewing information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2016-0002820 filed on Jan. 8, 2016, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a viewer rating calculation server, amethod for calculating a viewer rating, and a viewer rating calculationremote apparatus and more particularly, to a viewer rating calculationserver for calculating an accurate viewer rating, a method forcalculating a viewer rating, and a viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus.

BACKGROUND

Today, televisions (TVs) have been digitized gradually with thedevelopment of digital technology (existing analog televisions have beenreplaced with digital televisions), and on the one hand, a convergenceof broadcasting and communication that provide content having differentattributes through separate networks is accelerating. In other words,the initiative is shifted from unidirectional analog broadcasting tobi-directional digital broadcasting that interacts with the viewers. Inaddition, available methods that the viewers take advantage of thebroadcast content are also diversified, inclusive of receiving thebroadcast content through Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), theInternet, and the like.

Conventionally, there has been used a method of selecting a limitednumber of panels, installing a dedicated apparatus required for viewerrating calculation at home of each of the selected panels, andcollecting daily data on channels viewed by the household to calculate aviewer rating. Particularly, the data relevant to the viewed channelsare transmitted in a lump in a specific time zone (e.g., 4 a.m. to 5a.m.) to a server that calculates a viewer rating, and, thus, it isimpossible to calculate a viewer rating in real time.

Further, the viewer rating calculation apparatus installed at homecannot identify which of the household members is viewing a currentchannel and thus cannot calculate viewer rating data with highreliability. Further, data provided by the viewer rating calculationapparatus include only information about which channel is viewed amongchannels broadcast in real time, and, thus, viewing of VOD (Video OnDemand) cannot be included in the viewer rating data.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

The present disclosure is conceived to solve the above-described problemand provides a viewer rating calculation server capable of providing amore accurate and practical viewer rating in real time, a method forcalculating a viewer rating, and a viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

A viewer rating calculation server may include a server communicationunit configured to receive first audio feature information extracted bya viewer rating calculation remote apparatus from viewing contents, anaudio feature information extraction unit configured to extract secondaudio feature information of a broadcast content received from at leastone broadcast service provider, a viewing content identification unitconfigured to generate viewing information as a result of determinationof a currently viewing content by comparing the first audio featureinformation with the second audio feature information, and a viewerrating calculation unit configured to calculate a viewer rating of eachbroadcast content in real time on the basis of multiple pieces ofviewing information.

Effects of the Invention

According to a viewer rating calculation server, a method forcalculating a viewer rating, and a viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure, it is possible to provide a more accurate and practicalviewer rating in real time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a viewer rating calculationsystem according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a viewer rating calculation serveraccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a method for calculating a viewerrating according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram provided to explain exemplary embodiments forextracting first audio feature information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment forgenerating panel information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment forgenerating panel reaction information and a panel reactivity.

FIG. 8 is a diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment forverifying whether a panel actually views a content.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are diagrams provided to explain another exemplaryembodiment for verifying whether a panel actually views a content.

FIG. 11 is a diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment forcalculating the degree of viewing concentration.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a viewer ratingcalculation server may include a server communication unit configured toreceive first audio feature information extracted by a viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus from viewing contents, an audio featureinformation extraction unit configured to extract second audio featureinformation of a broadcast content received from at least one broadcastservice provider, a viewing content identification unit configured togenerate viewing information as a result of determination of a currentlyviewing content by comparing the first audio feature information withthe second audio feature information, and a viewer rating calculationunit configured to calculate a viewer rating of each broadcast contentin real time on the basis of multiple pieces of the viewing information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculationserver may further include a database unit including a real-timebroadcast database configured to store second audio feature informationof a broadcast content which is currently broadcast and a VOD broadcastdatabase configured to store second audio feature information of abroadcast content which is already ended.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the viewing content identificationunit may compare the first audio feature information with the secondaudio feature information stored in the real-time broadcast database,and if the first audio feature information is identical to the secondaudio feature information stored in the real-time broadcast database,the viewing content identification unit may determine a broadcastcontent corresponding to the identical second audio feature informationas a currently viewing content.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the first audio featureinformation is not identical to the second audio feature informationstored in the real-time broadcast database, the viewing contentidentification unit may compare the first audio feature information withthe second audio feature information stored in the VOD broadcastdatabase and determine a broadcast content corresponding to theidentical second audio feature information as a currently viewingcontent.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the second audio featureinformation compared with the first audio feature information may besecond audio feature information stored before a predetermined time.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculation unitmay generate statistics for the viewer rating by reflecting panelinformation about a panel's personal details received from the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculation unitmay generate statistics for the viewer rating by reflecting previouslystored panel information about a panel's personal details, and the panelinformation may be information received from a user device correspondingto the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculation unitmay calculate a panel reactivity on the basis of panel reactioninformation including audio data or video data collected through theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus or a user devicecorresponding thereto.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method forcalculating a viewer rating may include receiving, by a servercommunication unit, first audio feature information extracted by aviewer rating calculation remote apparatus from viewing contents,extracting, by an audio feature information extraction unit, secondaudio feature information of a broadcast content received from at leastone broadcast service provider, generating, by a viewing contentidentification unit, viewing information as a result of determination ofa currently viewing content by comparing the first audio featureinformation with the second audio feature information, and calculating,by a viewer rating calculation unit, a viewer rating of each broadcastcontent in real time on the basis of multiple pieces of the viewinginformation.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the method for calculating aviewer rating may further include storing second audio featureinformation of a broadcast content which is currently broadcast in areal-time broadcast database and storing second audio featureinformation of a broadcast content which is already ended in a VODbroadcast database.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the generating of viewinginformation may include comparing the first audio feature informationwith the second audio feature information stored in the real-timebroadcast database, and if the first audio feature information isidentical to the second audio feature information stored in thereal-time broadcast database as a result of the comparison, thegenerating of viewing information may include determining a broadcastcontent corresponding to the identical second audio feature informationas a currently viewing content.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the first audio featureinformation is not identical to the second audio feature informationstored in the real-time broadcast database, the generating of viewinginformation may include comparing the first audio feature informationwith the second audio feature information stored in the VOD broadcastdatabase and determining a broadcast content corresponding to theidentical second audio feature information as a currently viewingcontent.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the comparing of the first audiofeature information with the second audio feature information mayinclude comparing the first audio feature information with second audiofeature information stored before a predetermined time.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the calculating of a viewer ratingin real time may include generating statistics for the viewer rating byreflecting panel information about a panel's personal details receivedfrom the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the calculating of a viewer ratingin real time may include generating statistics for the viewer rating byreflecting previously stored panel information about a panel's personaldetails, and the panel information may be received from a user devicecorresponding to the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the method for calculating aviewer rating may further include calculating a panel reactivity, andthe panel reactivity is an index indicating the degree of reaction ofpanels to a viewed channel or program and is calculated on the basis ofpanel reaction information including audio data or video data generatedfrom a viewer's reaction to a viewing content and collected through theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus or a user devicecorresponding to the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a viewerrating calculation remote apparatus may include an audio data extractorconfigured to collect audio generated by a viewing content and extractfirst audio feature information, a data communication circuit configuredto transmit the first audio feature information to a viewer ratingcalculation server in order to calculate a viewer rating of eachbroadcast content in real time on the basis of a result of comparisonbetween the first audio feature information with second audio featureinformation of the broadcast content, and a controller configured tocontrol operations of the audio data extractor and the datacommunication circuit.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the audio data extractor maycollect the audio through a microphone or an audio device and extractthe second audio feature information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if a user device of a panelsatisfies non-use conditions, the controller may transmit a notificationmessage to determine whether or not the panel views the content.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller may use a signalpower level of a user device of a panel to determine whether or not thepanel views the content.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if it is determined that the paneldoes not view the content, the controller may control the datacommunication circuit not to transmit the first audio featureinformation.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller may use a signalpower level of a user device of at least one panel to determine a panelwho is viewing the content and generate panel information about personaldetails of the panel who is viewing the content.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus may collect panel reaction information through amicrophone, a camera, or other sensors, and the data communicationcircuit may transmit the panel reaction information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the panel reaction information mayinclude at least one of reactions of a panel who is viewing the contentincluding the volume of a sound, the kind of a sound, the number ofsounds, and the kind of a movement.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller may use a signalpower level of a user device of at least one panel to determine thenumber of panels who are viewing the content, and the data communicationcircuit may transmit information about the determined number of panelsas the panel reaction information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus may transfer a viewing notification message to a userdevice on the basis of a panel's viewing pattern received from theviewer rating calculation server.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present disclosure may have various modifications imposed theretoand implemented in various embodiments, and thus particular embodimentswill be illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail inthe best mode. However, it should be understood that the presentdisclosure is not intended to limit to those particular embodiments, andthe present disclosure may encompass any modifications, equivalents, andalternatives embraced by the spirit and the technical scope of thepresent disclosure. In the following description, well-known functionsor constitutions will not be described in detail if they wouldunnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention.

The terms of a first, a second, etc. can be used to describe differentcomponents, but the components should not be limited by theirterminologies. The above terms are merely used for the purpose ofdistinguishing one component from the other components.

The terms used herein are employed only to describe specificembodiments, but are not intended to limit the present disclosurethereto. The representation of the singular, unless it clearly indicatesin the context otherwise, includes multiple representations. In thepresent application, it should be understood that the terms “includes orcomprises” or “has”, and variants thereof are used to specify thepresence of features, figures, steps, operations, components, elements,or combination thereof listed herein, but are not intended to excludethe possibility of presence or supplement of one or more pieces of thefeatures, figures, steps, operations, components, elements, orcombination thereof. Hereinafter, the embodiments of the presentdisclosure will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

In the following description, the term “viewer rating” refers to a ratiocalculated to show how many people view a specific program beingbroadcast on TV and can be calculated by various methods as follows. Forexample, it is possible to calculate a viewer rating in various mannerssuch as a household TV viewer rating calculated using a ratio of thenumber of households viewing TV to the total number of households havingTV (the number of households viewing TV/the total number of householdshaving TV), a household viewer rating per channel calculated using aratio of the number of households viewing a specific channel to thetotal number of households having TV (the number of households viewing aspecific channel/the total number of households having TV), a sharecalculated using a ratio of the number of households viewing a specificchannel to the number of households viewing TV (the number of householdsviewing a specific channel/the number of households viewing TV), and apersonal viewer rating calculated using a ratio of the number of viewersviewing a specific channel to the total number of users having TV (thenumber of viewers viewing a specific channel/the total number of usershaving TV).

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a viewer rating calculationsystem in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, a viewer rating calculation system 100 includes abroadcast service provider 110, a broadcasting network 120, a viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130, a viewer rating calculationserver 140, a television 150, a data communication network 160, a userdevice such as a smart phone 170-1, a notebook computer 170-2, etc.(hereinafter, collectively denoted by 170-m, where m is a naturalnumber), and a data server 180.

Herein, the broadcast service provider 110 may be connected to theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 and/or the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 through the broadcasting network 120. Further,the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130, the viewer ratingcalculation server 140, the user device 170-m, and the data server 180are connected to each other through the data communication network 160.

That is, the broadcast service provider 110 may transmit a broadcastcontent to the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 and/or theviewer rating calculation server 140 through the broadcasting network120 such as a satellite, a ground wave, the Internet, a cable, or thelike. That is, the broadcast content collectively means audio and/orvideo that are distributed through a broadcasting medium such as asatellite, a ground wave, a cable, or the like, and the broadcastingnetwork 120 means a network through which the broadcast content from thebroadcast service provider 110 can be transmitted to the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 and/or the viewer rating calculationserver 140.

The viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may be a devicewiredly and/or wirelessly connected to a set-top box (a deviceconfigured to receive a broadcast content from the broadcast serviceprovider 110) (not illustrated) and configured to receive an audiosignal of the broadcast content from the set-top box (not illustrated).According to another exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 may be a device (e.g., a smart phone) configured toreceive audio generated from a broadcast content being broadcast orplayed on the television 150 connected to the set-top box in the form ofan audio signal of the broadcast content through a microphone. Accordingto yet another exemplary embodiment, the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 may be a device such as a set-top box, a mobilephone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal computer (PC), etc. configuredto receive a broadcast content from the broadcast service provider 110.

That is, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may refer toa comprehensive device which can perform functions to be described withreference to FIG. 3 and in which an application for performing thesefunctions can be installed.

The viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may generate firstaudio feature information by collecting audio generated from a broadcastcontent on the television 150 at home. The first audio featureinformation may be information about features of audio of the broadcastcontent and may be, e.g., an audio fingerprint. Herein, a broadcastcontent to be viewed through the TV at home is defined as a viewingcontent. The viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may generatethe first audio feature information and then transmit the first audiofeature information to the viewer rating calculation server 140according to a predetermined method and when transmitting the firstaudio feature information, the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130 may also transmit panel information and/or weightinginformation. Details of the panel information and/or weightinginformation will be described later.

The television 150 may receive the viewing content directly from thebroadcast service provider 110 or receive the viewing content from theset-top box (not illustrated) and then provide video and audio of theviewing content.

When a broadcast content is received from the broadcast service provider110, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may extract second audiofeature information of the broadcast content and store the second audiofeature information in a predetermined storage space according to apredetermined method. The second audio feature information, like thefirst audio feature information, may be information about features ofaudio of the broadcast content and may be, e.g., an audio fingerprint.Further, the first audio feature information and the second audiofeature information may be generated by the same method.

In addition, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may receive thefirst audio feature information through the data communication network160 and calculate a viewer rating of each broadcast content in real timeby comparing the first audio feature information with the second audiofeature information.

Here, the data communication network 160 refers to a network throughwhich data can be provided to the user device 170-m and may include theInternet, a mobile network, an intranet, and the like.

Further, when the user device 170-m receives a notification message fromthe viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 through a local areanetwork (not illustrated), the user device 170-m may display thenotification message. The notification message may be a message forchecking whether a panel as a user of the user device 170-m ispositioned adjacent to the user device 170-m. Therefore, the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 may use the user device 170-m toverify whether the panel as the user of the user device 170-m isactually viewing the viewing content through the television 150. Herein,the user device 170-m may be a smart phone, a mobile phone, a tabletcomputer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a personal computer (PC),and the like. Further, the local area network (not illustrated) refersto a communication network through which devices at a short distance cantransmit and receive data with each other and may use a communicationprotocol such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, or the like.

Meanwhile, there has been described an example where the user device170-m receives the notification message from the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 through the local area network, but theuser device 170-m may receive the notification message from the viewerrating calculation server 140. For example, the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 may previously recognize that the user device170-m and the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 areconnected to each other. In general, the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 is connected to the in-house television 150.Therefore, information (e.g., telephone number, user name, gender, age,etc.) about the user device 170-m of a user (e.g., family member, etc.)using the in-house television 150 may be previously stored in the viewerrating calculation server 140 since the user device 170-m is connectedto the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130.

Then, when the viewer rating calculation server 140 receives first audiofeature information or the like from the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130, the viewer rating calculation server 140 maygenerate a notification message and transmit the notification message tothe user device 170-m connected to the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130. When the user device 170-m receives the notificationmessage, the user device 170-m may display the notification message, orif the user performs an operation, such as a touch, in response to thenotification message, the user device 170-m may transmit informationabout the operation to the viewer rating calculation server 140. Asdescribed above, the user device 170-m may be connected to the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 through the local area networkor the viewer rating calculation server 140.

The data server 180 refers to a server that provides data correspondingto a request of the user device 170-m connected thereto.

As described above, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may extractsecond audio feature information of a broadcast content received fromthe broadcast service provider 110 and store the second audio featureinformation, and may determine which broadcast content a user is viewingby using first audio feature information and/or second audio featureinformation received from the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus130, and may also calculate a viewer rating of each broadcast content inreal time. Hereinafter, specific operations of the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 and the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a viewer rating calculation serveraccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG.3 is a block diagram of a viewer rating calculation remote apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the viewer rating calculation server 140 includes abroadcast content receiving unit 210, an audio feature informationextraction unit 220, a database unit 230, a viewing contentidentification unit 240, a server communication unit 250, and a viewerrating calculation unit 260. Further, referring to FIG. 3, the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 includes a controller 310, anaudio data extractor 320, a local communication circuit 330, and a datacommunication circuit 350.

First, the broadcast content receiving unit 210 receives a broadcastcontent from the broadcast service provider 110 that is connected viathe broadcasting network 120 and outputs the broadcast content to theaudio feature information extraction unit 220. Herein, the broadcastcontent receiving unit 210 may include a set-top box, and the set-topboxe may be provided as the number of the broadcast channels throughwhich the broadcast content is transmitted. For example, if the numberof TV channels is 100 at present (i.e., if the number of broadcastcontent providers (for example, PPs (Program Providers) such as CNN,NBC, etc.) is 100), the broadcast content receiving unit 210 may have100 set-top boxes. This is to simultaneously receive all broadcastcontents which are broadcast at the same time.

Further, the broadcast content receiving unit 210 may receive thebroadcast content through an antenna or a cable. Furthermore, thebroadcast content receiving unit 210 may be provided with the broadcastcontent from an external storage medium (other storage medium such asUSB, external hard disk, Internet server, and the like). As describedabove, the broadcast content receiving unit 210 may receive thebroadcast content through various routes, and the routes of input of thebroadcast content into the viewer rating calculation server 140 cannotthe scope of the present disclosure.

Then, the audio feature information extraction unit 220 may extractsecond audio feature information according to a predetermined method byusing the received broadcast content. That is, the audio featureinformation extraction unit 220 may extract audio feature informationcorresponding to each broadcast content from audio included in thebroadcast content according to a predetermined method. For example, theaudio feature information extraction unit 220 may extract audio featureinformation by extracting information about frequency components ofaudio of sequentially received broadcast contents according to apredetermined method. Herein, the operation of extracting the secondaudio feature information by the audio feature information extractionunit 220 is known to those skilled in the art, and, thus, its detaileddescription will be omitted.

The database unit 230 may include a real-time broadcast databaseconfigured to store second audio feature information of a broadcastcontent which is currently broadcast and a VOD broadcast databaseconfigured to store second audio feature information of a broadcastcontent which is already ended. That is, second audio featureinformation of each broadcast content which is currently broadcast maybe stored in the real-time broadcast database in real time, and secondaudio feature information of each broadcast content which is alreadyended may be stored in the VOD broadcast database.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if a certain broadcast contentinput from the broadcast content receiving unit 210 has also beenreceived in the past, the audio feature information extraction unit 220does not newly generate second audio feature information of thebroadcast content and enables second audio feature information of thebroadcast content stored in the VOD broadcast database to be provided tothe viewing content identification unit 240. This is because if datacorresponding to extracted second audio feature information arepreviously stored in the database unit 230, the second audio featureinformation does not need to be stored again in the database unit 230.Further, it is obvious that the audio feature information extractionunit 220 may not extract feature information of the broadcast contentuntil the broadcast content is ended. Herein, the end time of thebroadcast content may be input by an operator of the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 or included in the received (digital) broadcastcontent.

For example, the audio feature information extraction unit 220 mayextract an audio frame from audio data of the received broadcast contentand extract second audio feature information from the extracted audioframe according to a predetermined method, and if information identicalto the extracted second audio feature information is previously storedin the database unit 230, the audio feature information extraction unit220 may not extract second audio feature information of the broadcastcontent any more. Further, the audio feature information extraction unit220 may use a broadcast end time included in an input broadcast contentor input by the operator and extract again second audio featureinformation of a broadcast content which is input after the broadcastend time.

In this case, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130(particularly, the audio data extractor 320) may process audio of aviewing content obtained through a microphone or an audio deviceaccording to the same method as the method of extracting second audiofeature information by the audio feature information extraction unit 220and then generate first audio feature information.

Meanwhile, the viewing content identification unit 240 may determine acontent being currently output on the television 150 corresponding tothe viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 by comparing firstaudio feature information received from the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 with second audio feature information previouslystored in the database unit 230. Further, it is obvious that the firstaudio feature information may further include personal information ofthe user (e.g., login information used for access of the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 to the viewer rating calculation server140) (or the personal information may also be transmitted separatelyfrom the first audio feature information).

The viewing content identification unit 240 may generate viewinginformation which is a result of the determination of a currentlyviewing content. The viewing information may include personalinformation of the user of the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130, time information, channel information of the broadcastcontent (i.e., information about a name of a program provider, such asNBC, CNN, etc.), title information of the broadcast content (i.e.,information about a title of the broadcast content, such as CNN News,etc.), and the like.

The viewing content identification unit 240 may transfer panelinformation received through the server communication unit 250 and/orweighting information calculated on the basis of the panel informationto the viewer rating calculation unit 260 together with the viewinginformation. According to another exemplary embodiment, the viewerrating calculation unit 260 may receive the panel information and/orweighting information directly form the server communication unit 250.Besides, the degree of viewing concentration or panel reactioninformation and/or panel reactivity to be described later may betransmitted to the viewer rating calculation unit 260.

The viewing content identification unit 240 may compare first audiofeature information with second audio feature information which isstored in the real-time broadcast database before a predetermined time,and if the first audio feature information is identical to any one pieceof the second audio feature information stored in the real-timebroadcast database, the viewing content identification unit 240 maydetermine a broadcast content corresponding to the identical secondaudio feature information as a currently viewing content. For example,it is assumed that first audio feature information is extracted from aviewing content of on-air Channel 32 and then input into the viewingcontent identification unit 240. In this case, the viewing contentidentification unit 240 may compare the received first audio featureinformation with second audio feature information which is stored beforea predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds) among second audio featureinformation of each of 100 on-air channels stored in the real-timebroadcast database. As a result of the comparison, the viewing contentidentification unit 240 can identify second audio feature informationcorresponding to the first audio feature information and may determine abroadcast content corresponding to the identified second audio featureinformation as a currently viewing content (i.e., a broadcast contentbeing broadcast on Channel 32).

In this case, the predetermined time may be previously determinedconsidering the time required for extraction of first audio featureinformation by the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 andtransfer by the viewing content identification unit 240. Herein, iffirst audio feature information is identical to second audio featureinformation stored in the real-time broadcast database (i.e.,corresponding to Channel 32), the viewing content identification unit240 may determine Channel 32 as a currently viewing channel.

If first audio feature information is not identical to second audiofeature information stored in the real-time broadcast database, theviewing content identification unit 240 may compare the first audiofeature information with second audio feature information stored in theVOD broadcast database and determine a broadcast content correspondingto the identical second audio feature information as a currently viewingcontent.

For example, it is assumed that first audio feature information isextracted from a viewing content of “9 o'clock News dated May 1, 2015”played through a “TV Replay” or “VOD” service among already endedcontents. In this case, the viewing content identification unit 240cannot detect second audio feature information identical to the firstaudio feature information by comparing the first audio featureinformation with second audio feature information which is stored beforea predetermined time among second audio feature information of each of100 on-air channels stored in the real-time broadcast database.

In this case, the viewing content identification unit 240 may comparethe first audio feature information with second audio featureinformation stored in the VOD broadcast database and then determine thebroadcast content (9 o'clock News dated May 1, 2015) corresponding tothe identical second audio feature information as a currently viewingcontent. In this case, second audio feature information searched fromthe VOD broadcast database may be searched sequentially from the currentdate to past dates, or may be searched considering a viewing tendency(e.g., tendency to view dramas and entertainment shows in sequence) ofthe viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 (in order of dramas,entertainment shows, and others in the VOD broadcast database) toincrease the search efficiency, but the scope of the present disclosureis not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 may calculate a viewerrating of each broadcast content in real time on the basis of viewinginformation generated from first audio feature information received frommultiple viewer rating calculation remote apparatuses 130. That is, theviewer rating calculation unit 260 may detect the number of viewerrating calculation remote apparatuses 130 (hereinafter, referred to as“number of viewers”) that transmit first audio feature informationcorresponding to broadcast content information. The viewer ratingcalculation unit 260 may divide the detected number of viewers by thetotal number of viewer rating calculation remote apparatuses 130(hereinafter, referred to “total number of users”) that currentlytransmit first audio feature information to the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 and thus calculate a real-time viewer ratingcorresponding to the broadcast content information.

For example, it is assumed that 100 broadcast contents are broadcast atthe same time. In this case, it is assumed that the number of viewerrating calculation remote apparatuses 130 that transmit first audiofeature information corresponding to any one of the 100 broadcastcontents is A (where, A is a natural number). Further, it is assumedthat the total number of viewer rating calculation remote apparatuses130 that transmit first audio feature information is B (where, B is anatural number). In this case, a real-time viewer rating of thecorresponding broadcast content can be calculated by dividing A by B.The real-time viewer rating can also be converted into an average viewerrating for each specific broadcast content (i.e., an average viewerrating for broadcasting hours of 70 minutes).

Further, if viewing information corresponding to a specific viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 corresponds to a viewing contentusing the VOD service, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus130 may be excluded from the number of users (N) and the viewinginformation may be used to calculate a cumulative viewer rating of theviewing content for a predetermined period (e.g., 1 month).

The viewer rating calculation unit 260 may calculate a panel reactivityon the basis of panel reaction information collected through the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130. Herein, the panel reactioninformation is generated from reactions of the viewer to the viewingcontent and may include audio data or video data and may be collectedthrough a microphone, a camera, or other sensors combined with theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130. For example, if thereare multiple panels viewing a TV broadcast content, when audio dataincluding sounds of laughter or clapping of the panels or video dataincluding movements of the panels are received, a panel reactivity canbe calculated using the received audio or video data.

Otherwise, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 may also receive panelreaction information from the user device 170-m connected to the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130. As described above withreference to FIG. 1, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130and the user device 170-m may be connected to each other through theviewer rating calculation server 140. Further, the viewer ratingcalculation unit 260 may identify a viewing content being currentlyviewed by the user of the user device 170-m by using first audio featureinformation received from the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus130. Therefore, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 may calculate apanel reactivity of a specific channel or program by using the panelreaction information received from the user device 170-m and the viewinginformation.

Furthermore, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 may generatestatistics for a viewer rating by reflecting panel information about apanel's personal details (e.g., information about age, gender, homeregion, income level, and residence type of a panel) received from theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130. That is, the viewerrating calculation unit 260 may generate not only a simple viewer ratingbut also statistics for a viewer rating depending on specific personalcriteria such as age, gender, region, and the like by using the panelinformation. For example, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 maygenerate various kinds of viewer rating data additionally consideringthe panel information. Viewing information can be classified by age,gender, or region in the panel information, and viewer ratings by age,viewer ratings by gender, or viewer ratings by region can be calculated.Further, a viewer rating can be calculated depending on a broadcastcontent subscription type of a panel such as a public channelsubscriber, a cable channel subscriber, an IPTV subscriber, and thelike.

Further, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 may give a weighting toa viewer rating on the basis of the panel information. In order togenerate viewer rating information, panels to serve as samples arecollected. The panels are collected according to demographic ratios byapplying various classification criteria such as age, gender, homeregion, income level, residence type, and the like. For example, if thedemographic ratio of people in their 20s is 20% and the demographicratio of people in their 30s is 25% according to demographic data interms of age, panels are collected according to this population ratio.However, when panels are actually collected, such demographic ratios maynot be satisfied in many cases, and in such a case, weightings areappropriately applied to each classification to calculate a viewerrating. For example, if the ratio of people in their 20s is 20% but theratio of actually collected panels in their 20s is 10%, viewinginformation of the panels in their 20s may be weighted two times, andthus, the viewing information of the panels in their 20s accounting for10% functions as viewing information of the panels in their 20saccounting for 20%. Further, if the ratio of people in their 30s is 25%but the ratio of actually collected panels in their 30s is 30%, viewinginformation of the panels in their 30s may be weighted 25/30, and thus,the viewing information of the panels in their 30s accounting for 30%functions as viewing information of the panels in their 30s accountingfor 25%. As such, if a ratio of the number of panels constituting eachpanel group classified by a predetermined classification criterion andthe total number of panels does not match with a demographic ratiocorresponding to the classification criterion, the viewer ratingcalculation unit 260 may give a weighting for compensating for adifference to each panel group to calculate a viewer rating on the basisof panel information and thus improve the accuracy in calculating of aviewer rating.

Meanwhile, there has been described an example where the panelinformation is received from the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130, but the panel information may be received directly fromthe user device 170-m or previously stored in the viewer ratingcalculation server 140. For example, each panel information may bematched with identification information of the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 or identification information of the user device170-m and then managed in a separate database. Therefore, the viewerrating calculation server 140 may identify panel information stored inthe database just by using the identification information of the userdevice 170-m or the identification information of the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130. As described above with reference toFIG. 1, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 and the userdevice 170-m may be connected to each other through the viewer ratingcalculation server 140, and, thus, when the viewer rating calculationunit 260 receives first audio feature information from the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130, the viewer rating calculation unit 260may read panel information of a panel connected to the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 and reflect the panel information tostatistics for a viewer rating. Further, the user device 170-m maygenerate panel information and then transmit the panel information tothe viewer rating calculation server 140, and the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 may generate a viewer rating and/or statisticsfor the viewer rating using the received panel information and the firstaudio feature information received from the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 connected thereto.

Further, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 may calculate the degreeof viewing concentration on the basis of viewing information generatedfrom first audio feature information received from multiple viewerrating calculation remote apparatuses 130. The degree of viewingconcentration is an index indicating how much a household or personalpanel concentrates on a specific channel or program or during a specificbroadcast time zone. The degree of viewing concentration can becalculated by using viewing time for each channel and channel leaveinformation obtained from viewing information of the user. That is, theviewer rating calculation unit 260 can check whether or not the userviews a specific program or specific channel and viewing time for thespecific program or specific channel from the viewing information, andalso check whether or not the user changes a channel. Therefore, theviewer rating calculation unit 260 can check the total viewing time forthe specific program/channel and whether or not or how often the userleaves the program/channel. It is possible to check a use time occupancyrate of the specific program/channel with respect to a reference time,an average number of times of leaving, an average use time, and the likeon the basis of such information.

FIG. 11 is a diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment forcalculating the degree of viewing concentration.

As illustrated in the drawing, the degree of viewing concentration canbe calculated by dividing a viewing time ratio by a leave ratio. In thiscase, the viewing time ratio is a value obtained by dividing the sum ofviewing time for a channel or program by the total viewing time.Further, the leave ratio is a value obtained by dividing the number oftimes of leaving the channel or program by the total number of times ofleaving. As illustrated in the drawing, a viewing time ratio and a leaveratio for each channel (Channel A, Channel B, Channel C) may becalculated, and the degree of viewing concentration may be calculated onthe basis of the viewing ratio and the leave ratio. In this case, it canbe seen that the degree of viewing concentration for Channel C is thehighest.

This calculation method is an example, and the degree of viewingconcentration can be calculated by various methods according to amanager's choice.

In FIG. 3, the controller 310 of the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130 controls the overall operation of the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130, and its detailed operation will bedescribed later.

The audio data extractor 320 may collect audio of a viewing contentbeing broadcast or played on the set-top box (not illustrated) and thetelevision 150 through a microphone and an audio device and extractfirst audio feature information.

Further, the audio data extractor 320 may collect panel reactioninformation indicating reactivities of viewing panels through themicrophone. For example, the audio data extractor 320 may analyze thevolume and kind of sounds (sounds of laughter or clapping) generated bythe panels and introduced through the microphone, and the number of thesounds (corresponding to the number of the panels) and thus collectpanel reaction information represented as comparable values (e.g.,scalar values).

The audio data extractor 320 may transfer the panel reaction informationto the controller 310, and the controller 310 may control the datacommunication circuit 340 to transmit the panel reaction informationtogether with the first audio feature information to the viewer ratingcalculation server 140. The viewer rating calculation server 140 maycalculate reactivities of the panels using the collected panel reactioninformation.

The audio data extractor 320 may separate and collect audio of theviewing content and audio relevant to reactions of the panels usingvarious algorithms using frequency analysis and pattern analysis and/ora directional microphone.

Meanwhile, there has been described only an example where reactivitiesof the panels are collected through the microphone, but the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 may further include a cameraunit (not illustrated), and the camera unit (not illustrated) maygenerate video data of the viewing panels and analyze the kinds ofmovements (clapping, laughing, etc.) by analyzing the video data tocollect panel reaction information represented as comparable values.That is, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may generateinformation relevant to reactions of the panels using various sensorssuch as a microphone, a camera, and an infrared sensor.

As described above, the panel reaction information may be used toevaluate subjective emotional reactions of a viewer, such as how muchthe viewer enjoys or concentrates a specific channel or program, whilethe viewer views the specific channel or program. To this end, accordingto the present disclosure, various movements or sounds physicallyexpressed by a user while viewing TV are collected through varioussensors and audio data or video data generated from the collectedreactions of the user are collected through the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 as panel reaction information.

The local communication circuit 330 can transmit and receive data withthe user device 170-m, and it is obvious that the local communicationcircuit 330 includes a communication module such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,ZigBee, or the like. Further, the local communication circuit 330 maymeasure a signal power level of the user device 170-m under the controlof the controller 310 and provide the signal power level to thecontroller 310.

The controller 310 may determine whether a panel of the user device170-m is actually viewing a viewing content. The controller 310 maycontrol the local communication circuit 330 to measure the signal powerlevel of the user device 170-m and thus determine whether the viewingcontent is being actually viewed on the basis of whether or not there isa user device 170-m having a signal power level equal to or higher thana threshold level. The threshold level refers to a signal level at whichit is determined that the viewing content is being viewed in eachhousehold and may vary depending on a structure of each household and anetwork efficiency of the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130and the user device 170-m and thus may be initially (or periodically)set through a separate setup test process.

Further, if the user device 170-m satisfies non-use conditions (e.g., nomovement or non-checking of a call/message) even when the signal powerlevel of the user device 170-m is equal to or higher than the thresholdlevel, the controller 310 may transmit a notification message throughthe local communication circuit 330 and then determine whether or notthe viewing content is being actually viewed depending on whether or nota response thereto is received. To this end, the controller 310 mayperiodically collect status data (e.g., a gyro sensor value, a touchscreen input value, call/message receiving data, etc.) for checking thenon-use conditions with permission from the panel as a user of the userdevice 170-m.

If the controller 310 determines that the viewing content is not beingactually viewed, the controller 310 may control the data communicationcircuit 350 not to transmit first audio feature information and/orweighting information generated by the audio data extractor 320 to theviewer rating calculation server 140.

According to another exemplary embodiment, if the controller 310determines that the viewing content is not being actually viewed, thecontroller 310 may generate viewing verification information forchecking whether the viewing content is actually viewed and transmit theviewing verification information with the first audio featureinformation and/or weighting information generated by the audio dataextractor 320 to the viewer rating calculation server 140 and thuscontrol the viewer rating calculation server 140 to perform evaluationon the first audio feature information and/or weighting information(e.g., not select or give a low weighting).

Further, the controller 310 may analyze the signal power level of theuser device 170-m to determine an actually viewing panel and maygenerate panel information about personal details of the viewing panel.The generated panel information may be transmitted to the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 through the data communication circuit 340.

For example, if there are multiple family members in a householdcorresponding to the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130,panel information about personal details, such as age, gender, region,etc., of a panel (a registered user or actual user) of the user device170-m having a signal power level equal to or higher than the thresholdlevel may be generated. Herein, the number of user devices 170-m havinga signal power level equal to or higher than the threshold level may beused as data for supplementing or substituting the above-describedinformation about the number of sounds in the panel reactioninformation.

Meanwhile, there has been described an example where the controller 310of the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 determines whetheror not the panel of the user device 170-m is actually viewing theviewing content, but whether or not the panel of the user device 170-mis actually viewing the viewing content may be determined by the viewerrating calculation server 140. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 1, theviewer rating calculation server 140 may generate a notification messageand transmit the notification message to the user device 170-m connectedto the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130, and when the userdevice 170-m receives the notification message, the user device 170-mmay display the notification message, and if the user performs anoperation, such as a touch, in response to the notification message, theuser device 170-m may transmit information about the operation to theviewer rating calculation server 140. Therefore, the viewer ratingcalculation server 140 may determine whether or not the panel isactually viewing the viewing content by using the received informationin response to the notification message. The operation of the controller310 of the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 to determinewhether or not the panel of the user device 170-m is actually viewingthe viewing content may be performed by the viewer rating calculationserver 140.

Further, the communication between the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130 and the viewer rating calculation server 140 has beenmainly described above, but some of the operations of the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 may also be performed by the userdevice 170-m. For example, the operation of the audio data extractor 320of the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may also beperformed by the user device 170-m. That is, the user device 170-m maycollect panel reaction information indicating reactivities of viewingpanels through the microphone. The user device 170-m may analyze thevolume and kind of sounds (sounds of laughter or clapping) generated bythe panels and introduced through the microphone, and the number of thesounds (corresponding to the number of the panels) and thus collectpanel reaction information represented as comparable values (e.g.,scalar values). Further, the user device 170-m may transmit the panelreaction information to the viewer rating calculation server 140. Theviewer rating calculation server 140 may calculate a weighting on thebasis of the panel reaction information and calculate a viewer ratingusing the weighting. Otherwise, the user device 170-m may generate videodata of the viewing panels using a camera provided in the user device170-m and analyze the kinds of movements (clapping, laughing, etc.) byanalyzing the video data to collect panel reaction informationrepresented as comparable values. Therefore, the user device 170-m maygenerate information relevant to reactions of the panels using varioussensors such as a microphone, a camera, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a method for calculating a viewerrating according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 5 is a diagram provided to explain exemplary embodiments forextracting first audio feature information. FIG. 6 is a diagram providedto explain an exemplary embodiment for generating panel information.FIG. 7 is a diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment forgenerating panel reaction information and a panel reactivity. FIG. 8 isa diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment for verifyingwhether a panel actually views a content. FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 arediagrams provided to explain another exemplary embodiment for verifyingwhether a panel actually views a content.

In FIG. 4, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 mayprocess audio of a viewing content obtained through a microphone or anaudio device and then generate first audio feature information (S10). Anoperation of generating the first audio feature information will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 5. In “Example 1” illustrated in FIG.5, a viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130-1 is connectedthrough an audio device to a set-top box 500 connected to the television150 and configured to receive an audio signal of a viewing contentdirectly from the set-top box 500. Therefore, the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130-1 may receive an audio signal of aviewing content directly from the set-top box 500 and analog-digitalconvert the audio signal and then perform audio fingerprinting to thedigital audio signal to generate first audio feature information.Herein, the audio fingerprinting is known to those skilled in the art,and, thus, its detailed description will be omitted.

In “Example 2” illustrated in FIG. 5, a viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130-2 is not connected to the set-top box 500 and capturesaudio output through a speaker of the television 150 with a microphone.Therefore, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130-2 maygenerate an audio signal of a viewing content and analog-digital convertthe audio signal through the microphone and perform audio fingerprintingto the digital audio signal to generate first audio feature information.Particularly, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130-2 maybe implemented as a smart phone which is equipped with a microphone anda communication module and in which an application for executing anaudio fingerprinting algorithm may be installed.

Referring to FIG. 4 again, the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130 may analyze a signal power level of the user device 170-mto determine an actually viewing panel and may generate panelinformation about personal details of the viewing panel (S11). In FIG.6, if an area where the user device 170-m has a signal power level equalto or higher than a threshold level with respect to the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 is defined as a service area, it isassumed that there are multiple panels (registered users or actualusers) and user devices 170-1 to 170-3 in the service area. The viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 may generate panel informationabout personal details, such as age (48 years old, 45 years old, 12years old), gender (male, female, male), region (Seoul, Seoul, Seoul),of the panels of the respective user devices 170-1 to 170-3. Meanwhile,the panel information may also be generated by the user device 170-m anddirectly transmitted from the viewer rating calculation server 140 asdescribed above. Therefore, devices that generate the panel informationdo not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4 again, the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130 may determine whether or not a panel is actually viewing aviewing content (S13). If the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus130 determines that the panel is actually viewing the viewing content(YES in S13), the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 maytransmit first audio feature information and the panel information tothe viewer rating calculation server 140. Further, as described above,if a panel reactivity is generated by the viewer rating calculationserver 140, panel reaction information collected by the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus 130 may be transmitted to the viewer ratingcalculation server 140.

If the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 determines thatthe panel is not actually viewing the viewing content (NO in S13), theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may not transmit thefirst audio feature information, the panel information, or the panelreaction information to the viewer rating calculation server 140.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 determines that the panel is not actually viewingthe viewing content, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130may not generate the first audio feature information, the panelinformation, or the panel reaction information until specific unlockconditions (e.g., an increase of a signal level of the user device 170-1to be equal to or higher than the threshold level, detection of amovement of the device, checking a call/message, or a touch in responseto a notification message) are satisfied.

In FIG. 8, it is assumed that the user device 170-1 present in theservice area is shifted to a non-service area (where the user device170-m cannot have a signal power level equal to or higher than thethreshold level with respect to the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130). The viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130measures a signal power level of the user device 170-1 and thendetermines whether there is a user device 170-m having a signal powerlevel equal to or higher than the threshold level. Before the device isshifted, the signal level is higher than the threshold level, and, thus,the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may determine that apanel corresponding to the user device 170-1 is actually viewing aviewing content.

However, after the device is shifted, the signal level is lower than thethreshold level, and, thus, the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130 may determine that the panel corresponding to the userdevice 170-1 is not actually viewing the viewing content. By applyingthe life pattern of modern people who tend to carry their mobile phonewith them all the time even at home, a case where the user device 170-1is not present in the service area is regarded as a case where the panelis not viewing the viewing content.

Further, in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the user device 170-1 and a panel1 have been present in the service area but only the panel 1 is shiftedto the non-service area. The viewer rating calculation remote apparatus130 measures a signal power level of the user device 170-1 and thesignal level is higher than the threshold level, and, thus, the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 may first determine that thepanel corresponding to the user device 170-1 is actually viewing theviewing content.

However, if the user device 170-1 satisfies the non-use conditions(e.g., no movement or non-checking of a call/message) even when thesignal power level of the user device 170-1 is equal to or higher thanthe threshold level, the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130may transmit a notification message through the local communicationcircuit 330 and then determine whether or not the viewing content isbeing actually viewed depending on whether or not a response thereto isreceived. To this end, the controller 310 may periodically collectstatus data (e.g., a gyro sensor value, a touch screen input value,call/message receiving data, etc.) for checking the non-use conditionswith permission from the panel as a user of the user device 170-1.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the notification message, and if thepanel 1 is present in the service area and checks the notificationmessage displayed on a screen of the user device 170-1 and then performsan operation to generate a response message (e.g., if the user touches“YES” displayed on the user device 170-1 as illustrated in FIG. 10), theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may determine that thepanel corresponding to the user device 170-1 is actually viewing theviewing content.

However, if the panel 1 is present in the non-service area and cannotcheck the notification message displayed on the screen of the userdevice 170-1 and thus does not perform an operation to generate aresponse message (if the panel 1 does not touch “YES” in FIG. 10), theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130 may determine that thepanel corresponding to the user device 170-1 is not actually viewing theviewing content.

That is, the reason for checking whether the panel is actually viewingthe viewing content in the process S13 illustrated in FIG. 4 is toaccurately calculate a viewer rating just by collecting data on theactually viewing panel since the television 150 may be turned on withoutbeing viewed by the panel and data of this household may be used tocalculate a viewer rating, resulting in an inaccurate calculation of aviewer rating.

The viewer rating calculation server 140 extracts second audio featureinformation using a broadcast content received from the broadcastservice provider 110 connected thereto through the broadcasting network120 by a predetermined method (S20).

The viewer rating calculation server 140 may store second audio featureinformation of a broadcast content which is currently broadcast in thereal-time broadcast database and second audio feature information of abroadcast content which is already ended in the VOD broadcast database(S21).

Meanwhile, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may compare firstaudio feature information received from the viewer rating calculationremote apparatus 130 with second audio feature information previouslystored in the real-time broadcast database to determine a content beingcurrently viewed on the television 150 corresponding to the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus 130 (S22).

If the first audio feature information is identical to the second audiofeature information stored in the real-time broadcast database (YES inS22), the viewer rating calculation server 140 may determine a broadcastcontent corresponding to the identical second audio feature informationas a currently viewing content (S23).

If the first audio feature information is not identical to the secondaudio feature information stored in the real-time broadcast database (NOin S22), the viewer rating calculation server 140 may compare the firstaudio feature information with second audio feature information storedin the VOD broadcast database and determine a broadcast contentcorresponding to the identical second audio feature information as acurrently viewing content (S24).

The viewer rating calculation server 140 may generate viewinginformation as a result of determination of a currently viewing content(S25). The viewing information may include personal information of theuser of the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130, timeinformation, channel information of the broadcast content, titleinformation of the broadcast content, and the like.

Meanwhile, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may calculate aviewer rating of each broadcast content in real time on the basis ofviewing information generated from first audio feature informationreceived from multiple viewer rating calculation remote apparatuses 130(S26).

Further, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may calculate a panelreactivity indicating the degree of reaction of panels to each of viewedchannels or programs using panel reaction information received from theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130.

FIG. 7 is a diagram provided to explain an exemplary embodiment forgenerating panel reaction information and a panel reactivity. Forexample, if panel reaction information indicating that there are manypanels viewing a TV or there is an increase in volume of sounds of thepanels' laughter or clapping is received, a panel reactivity to thecorresponding channel or program can be calculated. As illustrated inthe drawing, it is assumed that the panel 1 does not show any reaction,a panel 2 bursts into a loud laughter, a panel 3 gives a littleclapping, and a panel 4 shows a large-scale movement. These reactions ofthe panels are collected and transmitted as panel reaction information.Further, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may recognize thekinds of sounds (laughter or clapping), volume of sounds (loud orquiet), number of sounds, and scale of movements (large or small) on thebasis of the panel reaction information and calculate a panel reactivityon the basis of the number of collected pieces of reaction information.In the drawing, a total of 3 pieces of panel reaction information arecollected from a total of the 4 panels, and, thus, a panel reactivitymay be calculated as 3. In this case, a weighting may be given to eachkind of reaction considering a scale of reaction. A large-scale reactionis given a high weighting and a small-scale reaction is given a lowweighting to calculate a panel reactivity.

Further, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may calculate thedegree of viewing concentration on the basis of the viewing informationreceived from the multiple viewer rating calculation remote apparatuses130, and details thereof are the same as described above with referenceto FIG. 11.

Then, the viewer rating calculation server 140 may generate statisticsfor a viewer rating by reflecting panel information about a panel'spersonal details (e.g., information about age, gender, and region of apanel) received from the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130(S27). That is, the viewer rating calculation unit 260 may generate notonly a simple viewer rating but also statistics for a viewer ratingapplied with a weighting depending on specific personal criteria such asage, gender, region, and the like by using the panel information.Further, if the number of panels classified by a predeterminedclassification criterion does not match with a demographic ratio, theviewer rating calculation unit 260 may give a weighting for compensatingfor a difference to more accurately calculate a viewer rating on thebasis of panel information.

The viewer rating calculation server 140 may provide a real-time viewerrating, an average viewer rating, a cumulative viewer rating (e.g., acumulative viewer rating for 1 month), and viewer rating statisticscalculated by the above-described method to the broadcast serviceprovider 110 and/or the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130and may provide a separate viewing notification service.

For example, viewing notification information generated for eachindividual (e.g., information indicating that a certain regularbroadcast has been viewed every week in a recent month but not viewedthis week and a broadcast content for this week is currentlyrebroadcast) may be provided to the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus 130, and the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus 130may provide a new viewing notification message to the corresponding userdevice 170-m.

Therefore, the viewer rating calculation system 100 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can survey all of theviewer rating calculation remote apparatuses 130 equipped with anapplication for viewer rating in a simpler manner than a conventionalsystem that surveys limited samples for viewer rating, and, thus, theviewer rating calculation system 100 can calculate a very accurateviewer rating.

Further, the viewer rating calculation system 100 can collect data forviewer rating calculation in real time and provide various viewerratings in real time, departing from a conventional method of collectingdata for viewer rating calculation in a specific time zone. Furthermore,the viewer rating calculation system 100 can calculate a practicalviewer rating by continuously checking who is viewing and whether or notviewing actually occurs as compared with a conventional system thatcannot identify who is currently viewing in each household.

Finally, the viewer rating calculation system 100 can provide acumulative viewer rating for each broadcast content provided through aVOD service to be used as data for supplementing a real-time viewerrating, departing from a conventional method which cannot provide dataon a cumulative viewer rating.

The method for calculating a viewer rating in accordance with theembodiments of the present disclosure as mentioned above may beimplemented in the form of computer readable codes on a computerreadable media. The computer readable media may include any kinds ofstorage media on which data that can be decoded by a computer system isstored. For example, the computer storage media may include ROM (ReadOnly Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), a magnetic tape, a flashmemory, optical data storage and the like. Further, the computerreadable storage media can be stored and carried out as codes that aredistributed in a computer system connected to a computer network and arereadable in a distributed manner. Therefore, the server communicationunit, the audio feature information extraction unit, the viewing contentidentification unit and the viewer rating calculation unit areimplemented according to the execution of the viewer rating calculationcodes on the computer readable media of the viewer rating calculationserver.

In addition, while the aforementioned description has been made withreference to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, itwill be appreciated to those skilled in the art that the present canmake various modifications and changes within the range withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope claimed in following claims.

We claim:
 1. A viewer rating calculation server comprising: a servercommunication unit receives first audio feature information extracted bya viewer rating calculation remote apparatus from viewed content; anaudio feature information extraction unit extracts second audio featureinformation of a broadcast content received from at least one broadcastservice provider; a viewing content identification unit generatesviewing information as a result of determination of currently viewedcontent by comparing the extracted first audio feature information withthe second audio feature information, wherein the comparing includes:comparing the extracted first audio feature information with extractedsecond audio feature information stored in a real-time broadcastdatabase before a predetermined time, and in response to determinationthat the extracted first audio feature information is not identical withextracted second audio feature information stored in the real timedatabase, comparing the first extracted audio feature information withextracted second audio feature information stored in a video-on-demand(VOD) broadcast database; and a viewer rating calculation unit:calculates a viewer rating of respective broadcast content in real timeon a basis of the generated viewing information, calculates a degree ofviewing concentration of viewers on a specific reference channel orprogram or during a specific time period by using viewing time for eachchannel and channel change information obtained from the viewinginformation, wherein the degree of viewing concentration is calculatedby dividing a viewing time ratio by a leave ratio, generates andtransmits a notification message to a user device, for display by theuser device, when the user device connected to the viewer ratingcalculation remote apparatus is determined to satisfy non-use conditionsaccording to power level signal and activity of the user device,receives information regarding a user operation in response to thenotification from the user device, and determines a panel is actuallyviewing the viewing content by using the received information regardingthe user operation in response to the notification message.
 2. Theviewer rating calculation server of claim 1, further comprising: adatabase unit including the real-time broadcast database configured tostore second audio feature information of a broadcast content which iscurrently broadcast and the VOD broadcast database configured to storesecond audio feature information of a broadcast content which is alreadyended.
 3. The viewer rating calculation server of claim 1, wherein theviewing content identification unit compares the extracted first audiofeature information with the extracted second audio feature informationstored in the real-time broadcast database, and in response to theextracted first audio feature information is identical to the extractedsecond audio feature information stored in the real-time broadcastdatabase, the viewing content identification unit determines a broadcastcontent corresponding to the identical extracted second audio featureinformation as a currently viewing content.
 4. The viewer ratingcalculation server of claim 1, wherein the viewer rating calculationunit generates statistics for the viewer rating by reflecting panelinformation about a panel's personal details received from the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus.
 5. The viewer rating calculationserver of claim 1, wherein the viewer rating calculation unit generatesstatistics for the viewer rating by reflecting panel information about apanel's personal details, and the panel information is received from theuser device corresponding to the viewer rating calculation remoteapparatus or previously stored in the viewer rating calculation server.6. The viewer rating calculation server of claim 1, wherein, if a ratioof the number of panels constituting each panel group classified by apredetermined classification criterion and the total number of panelsdoes not match with a demographic ratio corresponding to theclassification criterion, the viewer rating calculation unit gives aweighting for compensating for a difference to each panel group tocalculate a viewer rating.
 7. The viewer rating calculation server ofclaim 1, wherein the viewer rating calculation unit calculates a panelreactivity on a basis of panel reaction information including audio dataor video data generated from reactions of a viewer to a viewing contentand collected through the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus orthe user device corresponding thereto.
 8. A method for calculating aviewer rating, comprising: receiving, by a server communication unit,first audio feature information extracted by a viewer rating calculationremote apparatus from viewed content; extracting, by an audio featureinformation extraction unit, second audio feature information of abroadcast content received from at least one broadcast service provider;generating, by a viewing content identification unit, viewinginformation as a result of determination of currently viewed content bycomparing the extracted first audio feature information with theextracted second audio feature information wherein the comparingincludes: comparing the extracted first audio feature information withextracted second audio feature information stored in a real-timebroadcast database before a predetermined time, and in response todetermination that the extracted first audio feature information is notidentical with extracted second audio feature information stored in thereal-time database, comparing the first extracted audio featureinformation with extracted second audio feature information stored in avideo-on-demand (VOD) broadcast database; calculating, by a viewerrating calculation unit, a viewer rating of respective broadcast contentin real time on a basis of the generated viewing information;calculating, by the viewer rating calculation unit, a degree of viewingconcentration of viewers on a specific reference channel or program orduring a specific time period by using viewing time for each channel andchannel change information obtained from the viewing information,wherein the degree of viewing concentration is calculated by dividing aviewing time ratio by a leave ratio, generating and transmitting, by theviewer rating calculation unit, a notification message to a user device,for display by the user device, when the user device connected to theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus is determined to satisfynon-use conditions according to power level signal and activity of theuser device, receiving, by the viewer rating calculation unit,information regarding a user operation in response to the notificationmessage, from the user device, and determining, by the viewer ratingcalculation unit, whether or not a panel is actually viewing the viewingcontent by using the received information regarding the user operationin response to the notification message.
 9. The method for calculating aviewer rating of claim 8, wherein the generating of viewing informationincludes: comparing the extracted first audio feature information withthe extracted second audio feature information stored in the real-timebroadcast database; and in response to the extracted first audio featureinformation is identical to the extracted second audio featureinformation stored in the real-time broadcast database as a result ofthe comparing, determining a broadcast content corresponding to theidentical extracted second audio feature information as a currentlyviewing content.
 10. The method for calculating a viewer rating of claim8, wherein the calculating of a viewer rating in real time includesgenerating statistics for the viewer rating by reflecting panelinformation about a panel's personal details received from the viewerrating calculation remote apparatus.
 11. The method for calculating aviewer rating of claim 8, wherein the calculating of a viewer rating inreal time includes generating statistics for the viewer rating byreflecting panel information about a panel's personal details, and thepanel information is received from the user device corresponding to theviewer rating calculation remote apparatus or previously stored in aviewer rating calculation server.
 12. The method for calculating aviewer rating of claim 8, wherein, if a ratio of the number of panelsconstituting each panel group classified by a predeterminedclassification criterion and the total number of panels does not matchwith a demographic ratio corresponding to the classification criterion,the calculating of a viewer rating in real time includes giving aweighting for compensating for a difference to each panel group tocalculate a viewer rating.
 13. The method for calculating a viewerrating of claim 8, further comprising: calculating a panel reactivity,wherein the panel reactivity is an index indicating the degree ofreaction of panels to a viewed channel or program and is calculated on abasis of panel reaction information including audio data or video datagenerated from a viewer's reaction to a viewing content and collectedthrough the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus or the userdevice corresponding to the viewer rating calculation remote apparatus.14. The method for calculating a viewer rating of claim 8, furthercomprising: calculating the degree of viewing concentration, wherein thedegree of viewing concentration indicates the degree of concentration ofa user on a specific reference channel or program or during a specifictime zone by using viewing time for each channel and channel leaveinformation obtained from the viewing information.